The Goddesses
The Pantheon of the Goddesses began during the Age of Heroes, when the Goddess Sharra Ascended. She was joined by The Wandering Goddess and the Dual Goddess soon after, and together they formed the Church of the Goddesses. While the Goddesses work together, and many lay people worship them as a whole, it is not possible for a Cleric or Paladin to gain power from the Pantheon, and must select a single patron to dedicate themselves to. The primary concern of the Goddesses is the Blood War. The war to take back the Outer Planes from the Demons and Devils has been going on since the Ascension, and while the Goddesses have been steadily gaining ground, there is no end in sight to the conflict. Chief among the problems are the Lords of Hell and the Demon King, who have enough power to challenge the Goddesses directly. Thus the Clergy of the Goddesses often act as recruiters, looking for strong and heroic mortals to join in the Blood War. While the Goddesses do have an influence in the world, it is through subtle methods and their chosen representatives. Galadia is the Goddess of Storms, praying to her in the middle of a hurricane will not miraculously end the storm , but it might begin to move off more quickly than it had before. The reason for this limited hand in mortal affairs is seen as twofold. First is the Virtues, and the Divine Charter that the Goddesses hold with them, which maintains that the physical world is the place of the Virtues, while the Goddesses are of the higher realms. The second reason is The Ryvian. As the Goddess OF the world, The Ryvian blocks the other Goddesses from acting with impunity, even from within her prison. While there are several minor holidays dedicated to the Goddesses, the most important event in the Church’s calendar is the Goddess Cycle. Every five years the Goddesses are allowed to manifest physically in the world and visit their worshippers. This is a time of great celebration and pilgrimage, as worshippers from all over the globe seek to see their Deity in the flesh. During this time the Goddesses meet with their high clergy, hear petitions and make rulings about points of religious dogma and practice. They also preside over several ceremonies, give out blessings and renew the call to join them in the Blood War. Not all Goddesses are always present, in fact the Wandering Goddess often is absent, but at least one part of the Dual Goddess always participates in the Cycle, and Sharra has only missed two since it began. Other members of the Divine Court often accompany the Goddesses, and so the Heralds of the Goddesses are well-known figures in religious art, not to mention the impact the spiritual presence of Dorian El’Luthan has on the Dragonborn when he joins the Dual Goddess for the festivals. 'Sharra' *'Epithets: '''The Mother Goddess, Queen of Heaven, The Most High, The War-Dragon *'Symbols:' A red coin, a stylized dragon’s head, a red claw. *'Alignment:' LN *'Domains:' Community, Destruction, Fire, Law, Nobility, Protection, Strength, War *'Favored Weapon:' Greatsword *'Herald:' The Apexatron, the general of the Goddesses armies and strongest of the Solars. Sharra is matron of families, and a protector of mothers and children. She is also the Goddess of War and leads the Celestial forces in the Blood War. The most powerful of the Goddesses, Sharra is often seen as the glue that holds the other deities together with the force of her drive and personality. Pseudodragons and half-breeds of all kinds are sacred to her. 'The Wandering Goddess' *'Epithets:' The Traveller, The Thief, The Joyous Pilgrim, The Forgotten, Queen of Roads *'Symbols:' A boar’s head, a tart with a bite out of it, a wide-brimmed gray hat *'Alignment:' CN *'Domains:' Animal, Chaos, Charm, Earth, Liberation, Luck, Travel, Trickery *'Favored Weapon:' Light or Hand Crossbow *'Herald:' none. Matron of thieves, spies, and travelers of any road, the Wandering Goddess is a great mystery. Her name is said to be unknowable, even by the other Goddesses, and while it is known she was one of the Heroes of Legend, none can say exactly which one she was, or which stories feature her prominently, though all agree she is IN those stories, and had a large part to play in the events of the Time of Darkness. She is also known to be the Goddess of were-creatures and commoners. Boars, owls, and the elderly are sacred to her. 'The Dual Goddess' *'Epithets:' The Sisters, The Two-As-One, Queen of Magic *'Symbols:' A yin-yang, two twined serpents, two nearly identical women standing back to back *'Alignment:' NN *'Domains:' Artifice, Knowledge, Magic, Rune, and all domains of Galadia and Duria *'Favored Weapon:' Quarterstaff *'Herald:' Diva, a strange, pale and beautiful girl with luminous blue eyes, often heard singing with an inhuman talent. One of the hardest concepts to grasp in the pantheon of the Goddesses is the Dual Goddess. She is both a single entity, and two separate entities at the same time. A telling clue to figuring it out is that while Duria and Galadia can appear together sometimes, neither are seen when the Dual Goddess is there. She is both Duria and Galadia, united and complete, where as they are only halves of this greater whole. The Dual Goddess is matron of scholars, craftsmen and spellcasters of all kinds. She is the keeper of knowledge both hidden and revealed, and her tenets revolve around knowing all one can and then making use of that knowledge. Books, diamonds and twins are sacred to her. 'Galadia' *'Epithets:' The Light of Heaven, the Scholar, Queen of Storms, The Summer Maiden *'Symbols:' A swooping Galadrin, A forked lightning bolt, the white half of the yin-yang (yang) *'Alignment:' NG *'Domains:' Air, Good, Healing, Sun, Weather *'Favored Weapon:' Longsword *'Herald:' Razakel, a powerful Devil cursed to do good works. The light half of the Dual Goddess, Galadia is matron of good-aligned adventurers, arcanists and Artificers. She is perhaps the most active in the mortal world, sending visions and subtly influencing events for better outcomes. She also has another side, and when she shows herself as the Queen of Storms, her wrath sweeps all enemies before it. She is seen as the paramount Goddess to the Dragonborn, who claim that House Duin’Suul is directly descended from her, a claim she has never disputed. The Galadrin birds of Sudia are named for her, and are sacred to her, as are young lovers and those seeking lost family. 'Duria' *'Epithets:' The Dark Sister, Queen of the Dead, The Winter Maiden *'Symbols:' A lantern shining forth gray light, the dark half of the yin-yang (yin), two interlaced snowflakes *'Alignment:' NE *'Domains:' Darkness, Death, Evil, Madness, Water *'Favored Weapon:' Dagger *'Herald:''' Theriel, an Angel who had been trapped on earth after the Planescarring. The dark half of the Dual Goddes, Duria is the matron of death and the undead. Most often thought about with trepidation, Duria is the most alien of the Goddesses. She does not glory in death, nor does she ask her followers to create more of it, quite the opposite in fact, but the tenets of her faith deny that death is anything to be feared at all. Even stranger, one of the prime tenets is that, in the end, there is no real difference between alive and undead, both are just states of being opposed to the stillness of true death. Often seen as the saddest of the Goddesses, Duria is rarely active in the world, even during the Goddess Cycles where she is present. Strangely enough, she is the Goddess of priests and Clerics, as well as Living Constructs. Golems, people who are lost, and the Insane are sacred to her. Category:Religion